Socioeconomical inequalities in the manifestation of depressive symptoms

Socioeconomical inequalities in terms of health are known and recently also highlightened for mental health in general and for depressive disorders in particular, recurrently showing that individuals in "disadvantaged" socioeconomical positions have increased risk of developing a disease. However, few studies approach the relation between variables likely to characterize the individual socioeconomical level and depressive symptoms in samples from the general population with valid epidemiological designs. Additionally, very few studies test the in-luence of relevant environmental characteristics, while intervening in the relation between depressive symptoms and the socioeconomical level, showing incongruent results. In this chapter, an incursion is made in the latest theoretical trends concerning the study phenomenon etiology (depression), as a nosologic entity disposed in a continuum of signs and typical symptoms, making use of epidemiologic data and consensual reviews, whenever possible. The adopted perspective uses psychological lenses in the search for plausible rationalizations and risks a social insight in the pursuance of determinants and observed inequalities for the hard distinction of depressive phenomena.